Fixing football attendance in the NBE era.

[kemba]

Earth to you - no AAC team has a shot to win the title now. Playoff might expand in a few years, but that's no given.

Think he was talking more win an AAC championship. As much as our fanbase hated the American, and even the good teams weren't a draw, if we were playing for a conference championship the place would be full.

That being said, that's only with the dream that we were going to get good enough to win 10+ games. If we can get back to winning 7 games, and get a few decent home games on our schedule each year, I don't think the attendance will be much different than it would be in the American. 2 big if's though

 

[zmart]

There is a combination of things that need to happen. Most off the field and then the heavy lifting on the field.

1) Create an alliance for scheduling purposes - service academies, locals, 1 Florida school like USF, Big 10 conference, etc.

2) Create bowl tie ins

3) Drop seat donation and make season tix affordable

4) Build up on field product focusing on academics and player development and winning.

5) Create a football partnership with SNY. Then we really are New York's Team and if we can get eyeballs on the games, then we can market New York as the home base and build out from there.

6) I truly think the next round of alignment will mortally wound either the AAC (If Houston, UCF or Cinnci leave) or really hurt the Big 12 - (if Oklahoma and Texas leave). Then I think there will be some teams willing to create a new conference and UConn could be at the forefront of starting it with a Northeast base.

Exactly. A list of schools that could be interested in joining a new conference over the next few years:

UConn
UMass
Temple
Army
Marshall
Buffalo
Cincinnati
East Carolina
Navy
Liberty
Old Dominion
UNC-Charlotte
Coastal Carolina

 

[EJHarrington]

Just WIN. WIN WIN WIN. It cures all ills.

 

[CTMike]

But what is the appeal as a fan? Watch a fun offense? Watch a winning independent team? Even if you get a bowl tie in it will likely be the Beefsteak Charlie’s Bowl. No shot to win any sort of championship.

Out already poor recruiting will get markedly worse. 300 people will show up to games. And the team will be hemorrhaging $$$.

Shut it down.

I didn’t say it was perfect. But the “just win” crowd is vastly too simplistic.

Put aside that the AAC fields some competent teams. They are teams that UConn fans never gave two poops about. Expecting fans to care about them was never realistic, coming from games against Pitt and Rutgers and BC and Cuse.

Winning as an independent isn’t exactly worse than losing in the AAC.

That all said, it’s only like a 10% chance of success anyway. Probably less.

 

[Alum86]

If the 2023 home schedule is

Duke
NC State
Rutgers
Rhode Island
Liberty
UMass

And the road schedule is

BC
BYU
Buffalo
Army
Ball State
Toledo

You're all telling me you won't keep the faith?

U da man.

 

[huskyblooz]

the athletic dept needs to have a meeting with the donors & season ticket holders by the end of the summer

 

[Austin316]

the athletic dept needs to have a meeting with the donors & season ticket holders by the end of the summer

 

[UConnNick]

As a basketball first fan and a NBE fan. I’m still going to get the football tickets. The program isn’t dead

No, but it's on life support from now on. I really hope the new president really meant it when he said we should have a football team. If he did, I hope he remains in office for a very long time.

 

[UConnNick]

Win above all else, but you need to play teams we actually care about. How we manage to do that now is a mystery. Only the most delusional managed to get excited for Tulsa and ECU.

And I hate to go all TDH cause he sucks but run a gimmick offense.

Great idea, but I'm afraid the words "gimmick" and "Edsall" may never appear in the same sentence. I hope they do.

It will be really interesting to see the marketing campaign they come up with to try and camouflage this atrocity.

 

[UConnNick]

View attachment 44101

It may look more like this...

 

[storrsroars]

FBS is expanding, not contracting. And there's so much more potential money wise and everything wise to stay FBS.

I gave up drugs decades ago, but I'm really intrigued about what you're smoking.

 

[ZooCougar]

Play every football game in MSG.

 

[BY06518]

I wish I could see things differently but sadly I see 3-4 more seasons tops. A few more 2-4 win seasons and crowds under 10K will give the administration all the cover they need to kill it off permanently. A sad end to a once promising program, but you can't indefinitely throw good money down a hole with zero chance for return.

It was never promising

 

[Sky ball]

Building a stadium in East Hartford was the first big mistake. Sure you can fill in good years but the students need to walk from their dorms to the game. Not take a bus....Period. Students were the future of the program not Alumni in New Haven or Waterbury.

 

[Sky ball]

FSU
Miami
Vetch
SMU
UCF
Florida international
La tech
Southern miss
Uab
Air Force
Arkansas
Coastal Carolina
Louisiana Lafayette

Are the schools that have openings in 2020. Can we find 8 teams to play us?

All available 1st two weeks in September.

 

[calluke]

Building a stadium in East Hartford was the first big mistake. Sure you can fill in good years but the students need to walk from their dorms to the game. Not take a bus....Period. Students were the future of the program not Alumni in New Haven or Waterbury.

The games could have been played in their dorm rooms these past few years and students still would not have showed up.

 

[ZooCougar]

We had no probs filling the Rent when we were winning.

 

[Milo65]

There is a combination of things that need to happen. Most off the field and then the heavy lifting on the field.

1) Create an alliance for scheduling purposes - service academies, locals, 1 Florida school like USF, Big 10 conference, etc.

2) Create bowl tie ins

3) Drop seat donation and make season tix affordable

4) Build up on field product focusing on academics and player development and winning.

5) Create a football partnership with SNY. Then we really are New York's Team and if we can get eyeballs on the games, then we can market New York as the home base and build out from there.

6) I truly think the next round of alignment will mortally wound either the AAC (If Houston, UCF or Cinnci leave) or really hurt the Big 12 - (if Oklahoma and Texas leave). Then I think there will be some teams willing to create a new conference and UConn could be at the forefront of starting it with a Northeast base.

There is a combination of things that need to happen. Most off the field and then the heavy lifting on the field.

1) Create an alliance for scheduling purposes - service academies, locals, 1 Florida school like USF, Big 10 conference, etc.

2) Create bowl tie ins

3) Drop seat donation and make season tix affordable

4) Build up on field product focusing on academics and player development and winning.

5) Create a football partnership with SNY. Then we really are New York's Team and if we can get eyeballs on the games, then we can market New York as the home base and build out from there.

6) I truly think the next round of alignment will mortally wound either the AAC (If Houston, UCF or Cinnci leave) or really hurt the Big 12 - (if Oklahoma and Texas leave). Then I think there will be some teams willing to create a new conference and UConn could be at the forefront of starting it with a Northeast base.

Totally agree. The next round of conference realignment is right around the corner. The state of our football and basketball teams make it likely that UConn would not be considered for a P5 conference. But after the chips fall and teams move, there will be a vacuum which would allow UConn football to fill holes where teams have left. We just need to become competitive in the meantime. Beat some of the big boys and have people take notice.

 

[NCHusky91]

Building a stadium in East Hartford was the first big mistake. Sure you can fill in good years but the students need to walk from their dorms to the game. Not take a bus....Period. Students were the future of the program not Alumni in New Haven or Waterbury.

They tried to build the stadium in Storrs in the late 90s but the NIMBYs in Mansfield and the ever so-forward looking CT Legislature knocked it down.

 

[CL82]

They tried to build the stadium in Storrs in the late 90s but the NIMBYs in Mansfield and the ever so-forward looking CT Legislature knocked it down.

It was less about NIMBYism and more about the fact that they over pitched it. Essentially they asked for the Rent, Burton, and Shankman all to be built with State dollars. Then Kraft launched his Hartford dalliance and got everyone thinking that building a college football stadium a half hour off campus was a fine idea. It was uniquely Connecticut sheet storm of stupid.

 

[Sky ball]

They tried to build the stadium in Storrs in the late 90s but the NIMBYs in Mansfield and the ever so-forward looking CT Legislature knocked it down.

Exactly...trying to have a Big Time Program with small time actors.

 

[hardcorehusky]

After giving this more thought- I truly believe that after the next round of Conference musical chairs will start the doomsday scenario-- conference contraction. As TV dollars dry up- does the SEC say to Vandy - here's a check and a scheduling alliance- bye. Does the ACC say to BC and Pitt bye, it hasn't worked? Does the Big Ten say that Rutgers ROI isn't there since cable viewing dynamics have changed and say see ya? UConn might have due to finances cut the cord earlier than the other schools, but it is better to be ahead of the curve with a plan.

Thoughts?

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

What we learn next week will go a long a way toward making that decision.

Next week? Welp, “we” in general are unlikely to learn too many details within several days. More importantly, enabling possible scheduling alternatives will be interesting to observe over a few years. I like welp

 

[History Geek]

After giving this more thought- I truly believe that after the next round of Conference musical chairs will start the doomsday scenario-- conference contraction. As TV dollars dry up- does the SEC say to Vandy - here's a check and a scheduling alliance- bye. Does the ACC say to BC and Pitt bye, it hasn't worked? Does the Big Ten say that Rutgers ROI isn't there since cable viewing dynamics have changed and say see ya? UConn might have due to finances cut the cord earlier than the other schools, but it is better to be ahead of the curve with a plan.

Thoughts?

Maybe.

 

[Nostical]

It’s only like a 10% chance of success anyway. Probably less.

I've changed my perspective. I think the odds are with us to succeed as an Independent until a new paradigm arises. I'm now even more excited to be there this fall to cheer the team on.

 

[Pudge]

I've changed my perspective. I think the odds are with us to succeed as an Independent until a new paradigm arises. I'm now even more excited to be there this fall to cheer the team on.

You are such an optimist

Frankly ... we will get better over the next few years. I am sad at what we left. But game by game? Old Dominion or Liberty or Army or Buffalo as opponents are just as meaningful as a bunch of the AAC. MSG again in March. The Fanbase has to get energized ... and I don't know where we start.

 

[CTMike]

I've changed my perspective. I think the odds are with us to succeed as an Independent until a new paradigm arises. I'm now even more excited to be there this fall to cheer the team on.

I’m not as optimistic... but... Benefits of a conference membership never materialized during our time in the AAC. We’re at the point where we can say Spartacus it without much downside risk.

 

[CL82]

Next week? Welp, “we” in general are unlikely to learn too many details within several days. More importantly, enabling possible scheduling alternatives will be interesting to observe over a few years. I like welp

I think we've learned a lot of it already. No MAC, no CUSA, so we're independent. But there will be some kind of narrative for how we'll go forward. Hopefully it isn't just go independent, cross our fingers and hope for the best.